Shredded Lettuce and Romeo & Juliet
by Thewrittenlanguage
Summary: Gabriella Montez is an english nerd who works for the school news paper, who hates Romeo & Juliet and shredded lettuce. She is made to one: shred lettuce. two: Tutor bad boy Troy Bolton in Romeo & Juliet. Troyella
1. Chapter 1

_I do not own High School Musical_

**Shredded Lettuce and Romeo & Juliet**

_Shakespeare- One of the greatest_

_Romeo & Juliet- one of his plays_

_Gabriella Montez- English nerd_

_Shredded lettuce- her pet hate_

* * *

Gabriella Montez didn't know what to do as she gloomily looked out of the English room's windows out on to the football field. The school newspaper's editor had asked her to do an article on their school cafeteria. She didn't want to do it.

She crossed her legs and looked back at the front of the class; it wasn't that she didn't like writing or that she hated the school cafeteria's food it was more like she hated shredded lettuce.

Sighing she moved her fingers lightly over her table waiting for English to finish, tracing the pictures and words students had drawn on the desk. She loved English but not even that love of it could make her like shredded lettuce.

The problem with the article is that they had given her a job in the cafeteria for two weeks… shredding lettuce.

As a child she had hated it. It always got everywhere or it always fell out of your burger onto the ground. Now seventeen years old she still hated it and with a passion.

She knew that she was being silly and really it isn't that bad but it is a waste of food if you drop it.

Sighing again she sat staring at the clock. Two minutes left….

"Miss. Montez and Mr. Bolton please stay behind." Her English teacher's voice rang through the classroom.

Gabriella's eyes looked around the room searching for Troy Bolton the basketball team's caption. Her chocolate brown eyes finally found him sitting at the back of the room leaning back on his chair. His recently dyed black hair falling in front of his pale blue eyes and his lips formed into a smirk.

He was looking right at her.

Gabriella blushed and looked away. He was not what you would call all that nice or at lest that was what she had heard: always in trouble and not caring about it, a heavy drinker and a ladies man. Not the type of person she really liked.

The scrapping of chairs and the sound of footsteps brought her out of her line of thought as the class ended. She started to pack up slowly not really in the mood to rush herself. Let them wait.

Picking up her stuff and slowly making her way over to where her English teacher was waiting for them, she once again looked at Troy Bolton. She took in his clothes, how he was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a plain white shirt rolled up to his elbows. The way his tanned skin shone against the shirt and how the muscles moved as he moved his arms.

Once again he was looking right at her as he leaned against the door frame looking the essence of cool.

As she reached them Mrs. Collins started talking, "Now Mr. Bolton as you know your grades in English are falling and if you don't pick them up again you'll be benched for the rest of the Basketball season. I know that you don't want that to happen so I have decided that you need a tutor."

Troy just nodded his head still looking intently at Gabriella.

"Now Miss. Montez if it is no trouble for you would you be willing to tutor Mr. Bolton?"

Gabriella's eyes widened in shock and they quickly moved from the floor to Troy's. Asking him silently what he thought? His eyes where boring into hers and soon she had to look away not sure why she had asked him for permission.

"That would be fine Mrs. Collins."

Mrs. Collins nodded her head and made her way out of the room walking past a still smirking Troy.

Gabriella made to follow her making sure that she didn't look at Troy.

"Montez you know we have to work out when and where." Troy's voice stopped her as she was half way through the door so that they were side by side.

Gabriella brought up all the courage she had and looked him the face and said "My house at five don't be late." She quickly walked out of the room rushing away from him and his intense stare.

She made her way towards 'EAST HIGH NEWS' the school news papers office right down the hall from the English room that she had just left. Looking back just once, she saw Troy standing near the door watching her as she walked down the hallway.

She pushed open the door of the office and breathed in a deep breath of relief. Making her way over to where her desk was, she waved hello to some of her friends and smiled at the sight of the desks piled high with paper. As she got to her own pile of papers she collapsed into her chair and dropped her stuff on the floor next to her feet.

Pulling the top piece of paper off the stack Gabriella started to read what she would have to do on her article on the Cafeteria.

"Bad day?" a voice asked her.

Gabriella looked up to see one of her best friends; Sharpay Evens looking down at her. Sharpay was a big fan of theater and being one of the co- heads of the drama club was the papers drama reporter. She was of average height with long blonde hair and an obsession with pink and sparkly things.

"You have no idea." Gabriella groaned smiling up at her blonde friend.

"I'm sure we could." Sharpay's boyfriend Zeke Baylor butted in. He was on the basketball team and was the papers sports reporter not only that he had a love of cooking. He was tall and good looking with dark skin.

Gabriella's eyes darkened and she responded "You that piece that you wanted to do on the school's cafeteria Zeke?" He nodded his head "They want me to do that and I have to work there during lunch times for the next two weeks shredding lettuce."

"Ouch that's bad." Sharpay said as she gave Zeke a one sided hug.

"Yeah Gabby I'm sorry I shouldn't have suggested the story." Zeke said grinning down at Gabriella with a knowing smile. He knew how much she hated shredded lettuce.

Gabriella groaned again "Not only that I also have to tutor Troy flipping Bolton."

Both Zeke's and Sharpay's smiles slid off their faces and turned into frowns. They both knew how bad he was and Zeke was one of his friends.

"Oh Gabby I'm sorry." Sharpay said as she leaned down to hug her friend.

"Yeah Gabs just remember he's not a nice guy and I should know." Zeke added

"I know, trust me I know." Gabriella responded frowning "I just hope I won't have to spend too much time with him."

"What do you have to tutor him in?" Sharpay asked

"Romeo & Juliet!"

* * *

"Ahhh you must be Gabriella Montez from East News?" a Large, gray haired woman asked Gabriella.

"Yep that's me." Gabriella responded with a wide smile on her face hoping that the woman couldn't see how much she didn't want to do this.

"Well hello, my name is Maggie and the man over there hiding behind the saucepans is Charles; my husband." Maggie pointed over to where a tall elderly man was grinning at Gabriella, his pale blue eyes shinning.

"Hello Charles."

"Nice to meet you Gabriella. First things first can I call you Gabby and secondly welcome." Charles said with a small smile on his face.

"Yeah Gabby is fine. So what am I doing to help?" Gabriella's eyes wandered around the room taking in the cleanness of it and the amount of large saucepans that were hanging from the ceiling. "Umm can I ask do you really need all these large saucepans?"

"Well you see Gabby." Maggie put her arm around Gabriella's shoulders and moved her gently further in to the kitchen. "We cook for a lot of people and a lot of those people are males. If you haven't noticed they eat a lot."

Charles interrupted her "We do not its just that we're growing boys."

His wife looked over at him with a stern look, "Charles you stopped growing over fifty years ago. Anyway Gabriella it's easier to cook that amount of food with a lot of large saucepans."

Gabriella nodded in understanding. She liked these to elderly people who where happily cracking jokes at each other while she continued to look around the room.

Not only did they have a lot of large saucepans they also had huge ovens and industrial sized sinks. But the room had little bits of the people who cooked in, a picture here or there, some flowers, and an old CD player quietly playing jazz.

Soon Gabriella was being shown the workings of the kitchen so that the next day she would be able to help Maggie and Charles during her free period and through lunch.

Maybe these people won't make her shred lettuce.

"So Gabby how much lettuce shredding have you done?" Maggie's laughing voice asked her.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the reviews, and i dont own HSM_

Gabriella pulled her coat closer around her body as she walked home from East High that afternoon at 4:30. She had spent her afternoon asking Maggie and Charles some questions about their work and then she had gone to the office to type up what she had found out.

She still had to shred lettuce but that was for only a couple of days till they were sure she wouldn't cut her fingers off. After that she could help preparing other food for them.

The weather had gotten colder and it was threatening to storm. The wind had picked up and it was hitting Gabriella's tiny body in large ice cold gusts. Luckily her house wasn't far from the school and it didn't take all that long to get home.

She walked in to her modest two story house in time to see her mother getting ready to go out. Gina Montez was a large smiling woman who was still just as beautiful as when she had been her daughter's age. She was dressed in a fancy black dress and had a red over coat hanging over her arms.

"Hey mum, have fun tonight." Gabriella said as she walked over and gave her mother a quick hug.

"Gabby this happens every month and do you know you say exactly them same thing every time." Her mother said smiling at her daughter.

"Well if you will go to a fancy restaurant and catch up with your friends every month it becomes tradition. And do you know what you say every time as well?"

"Yes, be safe, have fun, don't get in a car with a stranger and enjoy eating you ice cream…" Gina sighed her daughter ate way to much ice cream.

"You know I love you right mum." Gabriella smiled winningly at her mother.

Gina closed her eyes and said through her teeth "Just go eat your ice cream. I should be back before ten." She walked over to Gabriella gave her a hug and waved goodbye as she walked out of the house.

Gabriella walked into the kitchen and glanced at the clock, Troy should be here in ten minutes. Great!

She turned on the radio and slowly walked up to her room to grab her copy of Romeo & Juliet, her pencil case and a notebook.

Five minutes later she was sitting in her living room lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling while listening to bad songs on the radio.

Groaning at the bad song she sat up and moved to turn the radio off just in time to hear the door bell go. Great Troy was here.

Opening the door slowly she saw him standing there waiting his back to her and staring at the street. He was wearing the same clothes he had on earlier that day, seemingly oblivious to the cold weather.

She coughed to get his attention and then turned around to walk back in to her house.

"Nice house Montez." Troy said as he followed her in to the house and around into the living room.

Gabriella didn't look at him making sure not to look into his eyes, "Thanks."

Gabriella sat awkwardly on the couch and continued to stare at the ground. If you barely talk to him he won't want to talk to you… right, she thought as he sat at the other end of the couch casually leaning back, his eyes following her every movement.

"What do you know about Romeo & Juliet?" Gabriella asked in a small voice.

"Nothing,"

"umm okay Maybe we should watch the movie then just so you know what's going on." Gabriella said as she got up to grab the DVD and put it on.

"Montez I don't see the reason why I need to watch the movie. Couldn't you just explain it?" He asked, his eyes burning a hole in the back of Gabriella.

"because if I explain it I'll miss something important," Or you'll start screaming about how stupid it is; Gabriella thought to herself, "Its either the movie or read the play."

"The movie I think! It'll take less time right? By the way do you have anything to drink?" He asked, his eyes still following her.

"Yeah just through that door is the kitchen, help yourself." Troy got up and with one last burning look back at her walked into the kitchen.

Arrrr, Gabriella screamed at herself, this is so dam awkward. He better be a quick learner or else they would be stuck like this for to long. She knew for a start that she couldn't stand having him around because as hard as she tried he was attractive and though her mind was screaming at her not to talk to him, she want to impress him and talk to him. But she told herself that that was just the hormones speaking. She was in no way attracted to Troy Bolton.

The door bell rang again shaking her out of her thoughts. Slowly she moved forward to answer it wondering who it could possibly be.

Through the door she could hear the laughing voices of her friends. Smiling she opened the door and let Sharpay and Zeke in along with Taylor a pretty dark skinned girl, who was another one of Gabby's best friends. She was the editor of East News and right next to her was Chad Danforth her boyfriend he was a basketball player but had a love of photography which had earned him his job at the news paper. He was what most people called the class clown with his funny shirts and bushy hair.

"Hey Gabby where here to back you up with Troy," Taylor said as she and the rest of them walked into the house.

"Yeah and we brought some of Zeke's cookies," Chad butted in with a huge grin on his face.

Gabriella's eyes widened and a huge smile broke out on her face. Both she and Chad had a love of Zeke's cookies. So much that they had both single-handily eaten a whole batch each when he first made them.

"YAY! Zeke you just made my day." She squealed at him.

"Wow Gabby calm down," Sharpay said "Even for me that's loud."

Everyone burst out laughing at that until a deep masculine voice broke in asking what the joke was.

"Nothing much Troy just an in joke," Chad said with a big grin on his face.

Gabriella turned around to see Troy smirk at Chad as he walked into the kitchen, with a glass of water in his hands. Troy continued to watch Chad as he, a few minutes later came back out with his arms full of ice cream.

"Hey Gabby I hope you don't mind sharing." Taylor asked her friend.

"Yeah I do but it doesn't matter." Gabriella said

"Hey Gabby did I mention you're the best friend ever." Sharpay exclaimed as Chad gave her a tub of low fat ice cream and a few of Zeke's cookies.

"No I don't think you did."

"Oh well now I have. Let's watch Romeo & Juliet."

* * *

Awhile later, half way through the movie Chad decided that it was time for intermission; which to the gang meant Pizza!

Sitting on the floor in Gabriella's living room they all started to talk about Romeo & Juliet while they waited for the pizza to arrive.

"I think it's beautiful." Sharpay said "They would die for each other."

"No Sharpay, "Gabriella interrupted "It's stupid they're fourteen, no one finds true love at fourteen."

"Err Gabby well they do," Zeke said "I fell for Sharpay at fourteen."

"Yeah but you didn't marry her the next day and weren't dead with in a week."

"Look I agree with Gabby, it is stupid." Taylor said "But still really romantic."

"Taylor they all die how is that Romantic?"

"Well do you like Titanic Gabby?" Chad asked her.

"No that's stupid as well."

"Why have you even seen it?"

"Well no," she answered "The only part of it I've seen is where they all die."

"Then you can't say anything." Sharpay exclaimed excitedly.

"Romeo & Juliet is still stupid."

While the argument had been going on Troy had been sitting back watching the five friends interact, a slight smile had been on his face when he had heard Gabriella say that Romeo & Juliet was stupid. He could help agreeing with her.

"Can I ask a question, if you don't like Romeo & Juliet why are you tutoring me in it?" He asked Gabriella, though it wasn't Gabriella who answered, it was Zeke.

"Because she is the best damm tutor there is."

But before he could keep explaining about how the school had the crazy idea that she loved the play, Chad screamed "Pizza!"

This announce made the life long friend scrambe off the floor to get to the door first. Other than Troy who stood up slowly and watched the group of friends fight over the pizza boxes. He stood leaning on the side of a door with a slight smirk on his face, his arms folded across his chest.

"Chad that's mine," Sharpay screamed.

"No it's not Sharpay, it's mine,"

"Chad just give it to me,"

"No its mine,"

"Please Chad I'll make Zeke make you your own batch of cookies."

"Did someone say cookies?"

"No Gabby keep off, the cookies are mine, aren't they Zeke?"

"Yeah sorry Gabi" Zeke answered

"But I let you guys eat my ice cream,"

"That doesn't mean you can eat my cookies."

"Chad just let her eat the cookies, you know what Gabby's like." Taylor said trying to calm her friends down

"But Taylor their mine,"

"Well, fine then Chad you're not getting any of my ice cream next time you come around. No wait your not getting any of my mums Brownies."

"What! Gabby that's not fair" Chad wailed.

"Well you should share your cookies,"

"Why?"

"Because sharing is caring,"

"Not when it's blackmail."

"It is not blackmail." Gabriella said trying to reason with Chad

"But it is,"

"Is not,"

"Is too,"

"Will you to just shout up and let us eat pizza!" Taylor screamed at her to friends.

Both Chad and Gabriella looked at each and then they both burst out laughing.

"Fine let's eat pizza." Gabriella said

"Finally!" Both Zeke and Sharpay said

Everyone had forgotten that Troy was standing watching them but as they all turned to walk back into the living room laughing at Chad and Gabriella, the laughter died on their lips. They had forgotten that they were here to protect Gabriella from Troy. All thoughts of the 'Bad Boy' as they all saw him had flown from their minds when the pizza had come and then latter while they argued.

"Hey guys I don't mean to be rude but I think you should go now," Gabriella said with a slight frown on her face. She didn't want her friends to leave her alone with Troy but she knew that she couldn't tutor him while they where there. "Because Troy and need to start to study Romeo & Juliet. And the faster we do that, the faster I don't have to tutor him in." Her eyes pleaded with her friends to understand what she was saying.

"Yeah Gabby that's fine come on Chad lets go." Taylor said as she picked up her stuff and walked to the front door.

"But the pizza,"

"Now Chad!"

"Yeah come on Sharpay it's time to go," Zeke agreed

With In five minutes the Gabriella's friends had left and she was left with Troy. Once again the awkward feeling returned, and once again she was feeling Troy's presence in every particle of her being.

"Well Montez, are you coming?"

Gabriella slowly made her self move and she walked into her living room with five boxes of pizza in her arms ready for what ever would happen.


End file.
